The Pond in Dracula’s Wood: an Assist Trophy Story
by AngelZeroEXE
Summary: There’s a certain rule in Smash Brothers: don’t go into the lake in the middle of Dracula’s Wood. Zero and Ghirahim are friends for a reason: to protect each other from their crazed fan girls. These assist trophies are about to find out why that rule was made in the first place in this race against someone that wants them out of his way...
1. Part 1: Run, Dash, Swim?

Zero and Ghirahim, out of breath, took shelter under a large boulder as Phosphora and Krystal respectively continued to scream their names as if the two handsome male assist trophies were playing a rock concert.

"You think we lost them, Ghira?" the red reploid asked almost silently, crouching to one knee in exhaustion. "I'm almost positive', Ghirahim replied quietly, doing the same, 'Krystal's voice is getting fainter as we speak. Thank Demise!"

The two had a good, quiet laugh as their fan girls continued their search. "Oh, Zero~', came the sickeningly sweet, singsong voice of Phosphora a little while later, 'where are you~? I have a surprise for you~". Tensing up in frustration, Zero perked up his ears to hear where the Commander of Nature was coming from.

Suddenly, Ghirahim's eyes grew impossibly wide as he looked ten degrees above Zero's head. "Ghira, she's right behind me, isn't she", the reploid groaned. The Demon Lord nodded quickly.

"**GO!**" Zero yelled as he and Ghirahim sprung up and ran away. "Oh, you won't escape us _that _easily", Krystal sneered, staff at the ready. After a few minutes of dashing, leaping, and throwing rocks at their obsessive fan girls, the two good-looking assist trophies came to a halt in the forest near the mountains. "They'll never find us here, Zero, I'm sure of it!" Ghirahim promised, giving his buddy a high five.

Long story short, they were mistaken.

On the mountain itself, Krystal and Phosphora were staring down at their crushes with expectant eyes. "Alright, Krysty, you know the drill. I surprise them with lightning, then you freeze their feet while they're in shock. Then, they'll be all ours! Callie will be **so** jealous that Zero's mine, she'll beg for him back!" Phosphora snickered, readying her lightning bolt.

Long story even shorter, it didn't work.

Phosphora sent the lightning down, but the two were ready for it. Ghirahim teleported away as the bolt hit the floor, and Zero was right behind, using his dash boots to cover a little more ground. Enraged, Krystal and Phosphora began chasing them again, more determined than ever. What they didn't realize was that they were nearing a lake, and a very special one at that.

Krystal tried to aim her ice at Zero's outstretched boots, missed, and slammed into a tree. This sent her staff flying out of her hands, hitting Phosphora in the head as she tried to grab Ghirahim for her friend. The Commander of Nature, now furious, grabbed the staff and threw it at Ghirahim and Zero as they went to jump and teleport across the lake. In turn, the staff hit Ghirahim, messing up his teleportation spell, and sent him and Zero careening into the lake with a loud, echoing splash!

Shocked, Krystal reached for her assist trophy crush as the water began to sparkle unnaturally. "Um, Phosy', she worried, 'I don't think that we made a good choice." Phosphora gulped as the water rippled slightly. Without warning, a tiny, pale grey hand shattered the surface tension of the pond, causing the girls to scream loudly. "Zombie!" Phosphora screeched, teleporting away. Krystal grabbed her staff and her friend as she was teleported away as well.

Coughing and sputtering, Ghirahim emerged from the water, feeling around for the shore. "Jeez, what was tha- MY VOICE!" Ghirahim screamed, his voice at least 2 octaves higher. Looking down, the Demon Lord found that it was much worse, but couldn't fret before pulling Zero out of the water. Ghirahim's jaw dropped when he realized what had happened. "Ghirahim, are you okay- ay- wait, what? My voice! My armor! My Z-Saber!", the reploid choked, still coughing up water in a higher-pitched voice.

Then, the two gulped as they looked each other from top to bottom. Ghirahim, now no taller than 4'7, was wearing a white tank top, yellow belt, and white leggings, while his saber, cape, eyeliner, earrings, more-or-less shoes, and knives, had vanished. Thankfully, his white hair and black eyes remained the same color and style, as did his ears. "This is going to sound strange, Reploid, but how old are we?" Ghirahim shuddered in his old childish voice.

Zero had undergone similar changes, now about the same height as his demonic friend was currently. He now had a scarlet t-shirt with a green collar, an electric blue Z adorning it as well, navy blue denim shorts, and bright red shoes over plain white socks. His hair, still the same length, now brushed his ankles, where formerly, it had tickled his midsection, and the ponytail holder was now black instead of blue. His helmet had also vanished, making his entire head visible. "To be honest', Zero cringed, hearing the voice of an elementary age child exit his mouth, 'we sound like we're not even in middle school yet".

"Also, Zero, how do we get out of here?" Ghirahim asked, making Zero's heart drop at the realization that they were 7-year-olds, stuck in the middle of a forest with no sense of direction. And it was getting late... no.

"No clue, but we'll find a way; we always do in these situations", Zero responded, tying his sneakers into a double-knot. Ghirahim, brushing his hair out of his petite face, nodded, took a deep breath, and followed his friend away from that accursed pond.

Meanwhile, a figure, shrouded in mist, watched them from the other bank of the pond. "Oh, don't get too cocky yet', it cooed in a sultry voice, 'little boys like you won't last long against _my _traps. Lord Dracula and Master will be most pleased when they finally have you both in their clutches".

Ghirahim swore he saw someone's head from over the lake, but didn't think to much of it. After all, he and Zero has a lot of walking to do in their small shoes.

-End of Chapter


	2. Part 2: Eyes of a Vampire

Several creatures, eyes shining with hunger and malice, watched the young reploid and demon lord as they tried to make sense of their direction.

"Any ideas, dude', Zero asked, picking a fly out of his hair, 'nature is your thing, not mine". Unsure, Ghirahim shrugged and flapped his hair out of his face.

Meanwhile, at a certain castle...

"And you're sure those accursed Belmonts are fully unaware, Carmilla', Dracula snarled, sipping from his goblet as the sun kissed the horizon, 'you know what will happen if they're notified of our plans". "No, my Lord', Carmilla chuckled, 'of course not. The biggest threat to us right now is if they manage to call reinforcements, which is why it was ingenious of you to secretly lead them to that enchanted lake".

Dracula glanced into his magic mirror at the two children as they stumbled over tree roots and avoided spiders. 'Run along now, young ones', he thought, tapping an expectant finger on the glass, 'once you're gone, this world will be ours for the taking, and that horrid Simon Belmont won't ever be a nuisance again. How perfect...'

Back with the assist trophies-turned-children, Ghirahim was crying his eyes out, and making it very hard for Zero to bandage a spider bite in a cleansed leaf. "Ghira, dude, chill out, would you", he sighed as he finished wrapping his friend's foot.

CRUNCH!

A loud noise made Zero jump, alert and at the ready. 'I guess that was a bad time to say chill, huh', he thought. Stick in hand, Zero loudly, and frightenedly, shouted, "What are you? WHO are you? Show yourself!" Still in pain, Ghirahim clung to Zero's shorts, nearly pulling them down. Out of the bushes came an strange little man in a brown cloak. He wore a strange smile and held out an apple toward Zero as an offering.

"You want me to, take it?" the young reploid asked cautiously. The, uh, thing nodded and gestured the apple at Zero's face a second time. Taking it, Ghirahim immediately grabbed it from Zero and tried to eat it. "Dude, no! Stop! We need to... uh, share it! Yes, we need to share!" Zero shuddered, hiding his lies from the strange little man. Breaking the apple in half, Zero gave it to his friend, who gobbled it whole. Sighing, the young reploid stowed the other apple half in his pocket before waving the odd creature.

"Yes, they took the bait', Dracula snickered, 'the grey one isn't as bright as his friend, is he. I should be getting a new servant of the night soon. Good work, Flea Man. Now, follow them, and make sure the red one eats that fruit". Flea Man nodded as he hopped after the duo on Dracula's telepathic command.

Thirty minutes or so later, Ghirahim asked if they could rest for a bit. "Sure thing', Zero replied, 'we've been walking for a while. We need to keep our strength up if we wanna get outta here!" Sitting on a log, Ghirahim felt a breeze push his hair about, but that couldn't mask the nagging feeling that he had made a horrible mistake. "You alright? You seem stressed, Ghira. Want me to find some water?" Zero asked, standing up, hand placed on his friend's shoulder. Looking up, the Young Demon Lord nodded, and Zero promptly left.

"I shouldn't have eaten that apple. Zero was right, that was a dreadful idea", Ghirahim winced, rubbing his tummy. Suddenly, a loud thud shook the pine needles off the trees, and Ghirahim off his log. "Wah!" he yelped, jumping up to he feet. Shaking his head, a humanoid shadow formed over him, a large, very unnatural one. The Demon Lord's heart jumped into his throat and turned into a bass drum as he slowly turned around...

Behind him was The Creature, an infamous monster that could crush many a Belmont with ease! Frozen in fear, Ghirahim's legs gave out, leaving him a paralyzed, frightened mess. Hearing Ghirahim's cry for help, Zero, holding an old, cleaned-out turtleshell full of water, raced back to the log just in time to see The Creature reaching to pick him up! "Leave him alone!" Zero shouted, stick in hand, facing The Creature like it was a 3rd grade bully. The Creature withdrew its hand, but only seemed to laugh at the Maverick Hunter's weakened state. Gulping, Zero dragged the sloshing water and Ghirahim out of the way.

Or, at least, he **thought** he had dragged his friend out of the way. Looking back at The Creature, he realized that Ghirahim was standing with him, and he was not scared in the slightest. 'Oh, that might not good!' Zero thought confusedly, standing perfectly still like a good-looking child's mannequin. The Creature took a long look at Ghirahim before directing his attention toward Zero, letting it out a booming shout that somewhat resembled laughter.

Ghirahim turned toward his "friend", eyes now magenta, clearly indicating that he was enchanted in some way. "Gah-Ghira', Zero stammered, sweating furiously, 'I t-t-told you n-not to eat th-that a-apple". "Oh, silly Zero. You simply don't understand', Cursed Ghirahim coaxed, 'I will be waiting at my new Lord's castle when you're ready. In the meantime, ta-ta! Ha ha ha!"

The Creature put Ghirahim on its shoulder, and before Zero could even think about making a move, it made a colossal jump into the air, taking Zero's friend with him.

Shaking and furious, Zero began to try and concoct a plan to help Ghirahim, but child-like fear kept flooding his mind, clouding his judgment; it also didn't help that he was crying a little. Zero began to pace back and forth by the log, drumming his fingers on his pant leg and thinking harder than he ever had before. 'I can't **believe **it, I was completely powerless against an enemy shorter than Sigma, and it still managed to take Ghirahim. Then again, he shouldn't have eaten that enchanted apple, but he was hungry, and we'd been roaming for hours', Zero lamented to himself. And the thoughts poured through his mind, continuing to stir his emotions like soup. All at once, his mind gave out...

Wailing like a sickly toddler, Zero's face turned as red as his t-shirt, coinciding with the scrapes and scars that he had no time to treat. All the stress, all the nerves, all the pressure, all the pent-up anger inside Zero from every Maverick he had to endure seemed to come out all at once, and it burned him inside and out. He was alone.

But, as fate would have it, that last point turned out to be false!

"Jump with me, and splat with me, oh yeah-ee-yeah" came a mysterious voice. Zero stopped crying and turned to see a spec of green at the edge of the wood. Drying his tears, Zero listened closely:

"~It's time to super jump up in the air. Jump, up don't be scared. Super jump, your cares will soar away! And if the dark clouds start to swirl, don't fear, cause we're with Ze-ro...

"I'll be your one, up, girl", Zero choked, smiling lightly. Gasping, green Squid Sister Marie turned toward the tattered child version of her cousin's crush. "Z-Zero?! Is that you? And, uh, you heard that, didn't you", she cringed, face palming aggressively. "Yeah', he started, 'but it was beautiful, and even though I'm currently a kid, I can really appreciate the gesture."

Out of nowhere, Marie trotted forward and did something she never thought she'd do: she gave Zero a big hug. Taken aback at first, Zero accepted his fate and hugged back. Of course, it also came to a surprise to Marie that her friend did something similar, as the young Maverick Hunter began sobbing even louder than before. "You need medical attention, **now**!" Marie coughed, scooping up her friend.

As she was running back, panting and wheezing, she managed to get about a meter or two away from their original spot before a tentacle slithered out of the woods, shot forward and wrapped itself around Zero's unsuspecting midsection, pinning his wrists to his sides.

Shocked, Marie whipped around to see none other than a aged-reduced Ghirahim, eyes magenta from Dracula's magic. "You really think you could escape me?! Well, you have another thing coming, Reploid', Ghirahim cackled in a much deeper voice, tightening the tentacles, 'but I'll give you a bit of a choice: join us and live, or keep your precious light and perish... it's your choice".

Realizing that he was going to die under moonlight if he didn't act fast, Zero began to say, "I will never!", but he never got to say that...

Because Marie got there first!


	3. Part 3: Dispelling The Darkness

I'm finally out of my half-hiatus! I haven't been active because Skyworld gets really crowded with all the souls coming through, but I spared a little time. Now, read the final chapter! Enjoy!

With a quick flick of the wrist, Marie had her Charger locked and loaded, aimed at Ghirahim's head. "Hey, little man', she shot snidely, 'back off, or face me and my wrath". Not taking her seriously, Ghirahim giggled and called a few monsters from the forest. "Ugh! Well, if I must, these buffoons should keep you biz-"

Splat! Splat! Splat!

Three Giant Bats went down in the same number of shots. Ghirahim's, and in turn Dracula's, jaw dropped as Marie flicked some ink off her Charger and air-patted Zero's head. Taken aback, Dracula regained his bearings and sent some more, only for them to meet similar fates. Annoyed now, Ghirahim began to send tentacles after Marie. "You think I can't dodge these? Jeez, you're pathetic, Dracula". She skillfully dodged them all!

Officially fed up, Ghirahim began to throw a little fit, flailing Zero around in the process. "Argh! Ghira, put me down!!" Zero yelled, squirming. Realizing that the time was now, Marie drew a pair of Hero Dualies, storming the young cursed boy. Climbing the ever growing, slimy tentacles, Marie took the shot and freed Zero from, uh, whatever those things were.

"You okay, Z?" Marie asked, licking her finger to clean some gunk off of Zero's face. "Yup, just fine, but you've gotta find a way to change Ghira and I back into adults", Zero replied, dodging an incoming monster.

Marie smirked and looked up at the sky that was slowly growing lighter. "I have a feeling that once the sun comes up, you both'll be good", she snickered as Dracula's forces became increasingly frantic with their attack patterns. Thankfully, that also meant that Ghirahim was slowly getting his mind back, the spell wearing off! (Yay)

Meanwhile, in Dracula's castle, the vampire slammed his hand on his throne, causing the chandelier to shake! "Blast! Acursed sun' Dracula screamed bloodcurdlingly, 'I have one option left, and it's either this, or it's back to the Realm of the Lost. Here goes nothing... if you want Zero out of the way, then I'll do it."

Zero and Ghirahim slowly got older (as of now, they were 10) by the minute as they walked back with Marie, Zero holding her hand. Giggling, Marie couldn't wait to tell her sleepy cousin that she had just stopped Lord Dracula himself. Of course, Zero has a feeling that Dracula wouldn't truly go down without a fight...

And unfortunately, he was dead right...

A gripping pain began to nag at Zero like a mosquito before growing exponentially. He tried his hardest to keep it in, but the wincing was hard to hold back. The two boys grew a little more, to about age 14, as Zero's pain tripled by the second. As they reached the mansion, daylight, and a normally aged Zero and Ghirahim, the bubbling pain was increasing much faster. Something was inside Zero, and that something wanted out, **right now**!

Marie felt Zero shaking, his eyelids clenched shut and breathing heavily, and thought to ask what was wrong, but she didn't have time. She touched the door knob, and Zero doubled over, clutching his midsection in excruciating pain.

Ghirahim gasped, grasping his friend's shoulder. "Reploid, you must get a hold of yourself!" he shouted as Marie raced inside to get help. A dark aura surrounded Zero as he slowly stood up and looked at his friend with clouded, darkening eyes. Ghirahim didn't know what was happening, but he did know that he could try to help. Genuinely smiling, Ghirahim hugged Zero. "This is what humans call a "bro-hug", correct?" the Demon Lord chuckled laughingly. Inside his mind, Zero couldn't tell what the threat was, but he knew how to handle it.

Outward, Zero gestured Ghirahim to let go of him, drew the Z-Saber, and muttered, "Sorry darkness, but my body is **MINE!**" Thrusting his sword to the sky, a strange pink energy traveled up the sword before forming into a ball just above it. "Listen here, Dracula', Zero snarled at the energy orb in a dangerous tone that Marie was just in time to hear, 'you will never harm _me _or _my friends_ again. And if you dare to try, you'll be answering to me, alright? Now, **go back to the world you care from!**" Zero stuck the ball, shattered it, and Dracula's influence was no more.

Ghirahim clapped lightly, and Marie snickered as a little grim crossed her face. "Now **that's **the Zero the fans know and love", she complimented. "I don't know about you two', Zero asked jokingly, 'But I'm getting a Sub-Tank and taking a long nap. Those who agree, say I". A simultaneous 'I' rang from the back door as the triad entered the mansion, done with everything for a good long time.

As I flew down to end this tale, I heard a loud, "Oh my gosh! Zero! You're back! I missed you!!" Followed by a similarly loud, "Leave us alone". I giggled and started back off to Skyworld when I listened in on a little something.

:—:

"Dracula. Count Dracula, Lord of the Night, King of the Unholy; cannot keep track of weakened children. I'm as amazed as I am appalled, angry, and disappointed." The count, who was very distraught, began his argument. "Well sir, with all do respect, you told me that, quote, 'The Inner Darkness Amplification Spell works without fail' and is, quote, 'one of the best spells out there'." Furious, the mysterious figure began opening a portal to the Realm of the Lost, contemplating on the next move. "Sir, I would politely ask you to not-"

Vwoosh!

Dracula was whisked away, never to be seen again.

Pounding his fist on the throne, the mysterious man snapped his fingers and made Dracula's castle disappear in a puff of smoke whilst whispering to himself. "Mark my words, Mega Man, I will have you in my clutches one day', he grumbled, 'and once I do, I'll never have to worry about Zero or D-"

Ring! Suddenly, his cell phone rang.

"Hello, Master speaking".

"Wait, repeat that?"

"I'm listening, go on..."

"This plan seems risky, but I feel as if it would work."

"You don't say, Grunty, well that's quite useful."

"Wait, what was that about... a pair of twins?"

"Right, the boy has a sister. Thank you Grunty."

"The girl is of no use to me, just the boy."

"Alright, good luck. Talk to me when you have them."

Beep! He hung up. "Alright Gruntilda, I'm counting on you. You had better not fail me. Not unless you want to end up like Dimentio."

-End of Story

Angel is out!


End file.
